Jealousy
by Yunity
Summary: Superman needs a Robin hug after a horrible mission gone wrong, But Superboy is there and watches the whole thing. "She'd done nothing wrong in her life yet, nothing. She couldn't have been older than four, at most…" Superman whispered into Robin's hair. "I'm not going to tell you it's ok, Uncle Clark, but I can tell you that what happened happened, and we have to accept it."


**I do NOT own this**

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It was a normal training session.

Really, it was. Until halfway through. The power went out. Canary shrugged and had them keep on training, and other than that, it was still a normal training session.

Until five minutes to the end.

There was the horrible sound of bending metal, and as the Team, plus their mighty Canary, got in fighting stances in front of the hand-bent door, it was carefully peeled off its hinges.

What happened next was definitely not expected.

There was a blur of red and blue, and the boy-scout himself stood before… not Superboy.

Connor sadly reflected this as his idol stood before none other than the Boy Wonder, who had loosened his stance with a pompously raised eyebrow. Superman didn't notice anyone else, grabbing- don't worry, _gently_ \- Robin's arms tightly and pulling him close for a… hug.

Connor choked.

Robin's quirked eyebrow raised, but he wasted no time in hugging the man of steel back. "Superman?" he asked calmly.

Superman pulled back, and Connor dully noticed tears forming in the eyes so identical to his. "Y-yes, Dicky?"

"Why are you here?"

"You didn't answer _your_ alert." He said "your" as if it had some imperative secret meaning, which Connor's teammate seemed to easily pick up on.

"I'm sorry, Uncle S, but the Cave's down and I didn't have my gloves. I would've come." The boy wonder apologized, actually managing to sound his age for once.

Superman pursed his lips, seeming to finally realize his audience, and turned back to Robin. "Mind if we take this somewhere…"

"Sure, my room's just over here." Robin smiled slightly, _smiled_ , not smirked. Superman followed the acrobat out, leaving a very confused Team and a very upset Superboy, who, for the safety of his friend of course (although why he'd need protection Connor hadn't thought that far), marched rather ceremoniously out of the room and to Robin's door.

It had been left open a crack, probably due to the Kryptonian and not the Bat- who would've most definitely closed and bolted the door even if all he were going to do was find a book, thus Connor knelt and began gathering information. _Not_ eavesdropping.

Voices streamed out softly, starting with Robin's. "Sorry, Uncle Clark… what happened?"

"It's ok, birdy, it's ok…" Connor tensed. Superman even had a _pet_ name for Robin?! Superman sighed. "It was a woman."

Oh. Girl problems? Was Robin Superman's _"wing man?"_

"She… she had her little girl with her. They were innocent. _Innocent._ And then… the criminal just shot the little girl. He broke the mother's neck, then he place the gun under the girl's chin… and… and…" Superman started crying. _Crying._ "I was right there, Dicky! _Right there!_ I watched it happen! But no- the darned kryptonite knocked me down. And I just watched. Just watched."

Connor peeked into the room to find his idol hugging his teammate like a lifeline, tears leaking out of his eyes as he remembered the moment he had failed to stop, the horrible slaughter of an innocent little girl. She probably had pigtails.

"She'd done nothing wrong in her life yet, nothing. She couldn't have been older than four, at most…" Superman whispered into Robin's hair.

"I'm not going to tell you it's ok, Uncle Clark, but I can tell you that what happened happened, and there's no way to change it. Nothing you can do."

Superman gave laugh-sob. "That's strangely comforting, birdy."

Robin laughed in response before his face got somber. "I've had to learn." Was all he said, as he seemingly got lost in a horrible memory. Superman hugged him harder, rocking him slightly.

"Don't dwell on it, right now. Remember? You can't change it."

"Using my own words against me." Robin smirked. Then he sighed. "True, but we shouldn't forget. Memories make us, and experiences change us. The little girl should never be forgotten, just accepted."

Superman smiled as he reached up. Connor froze in horror as the mask was taken off his teammate's, and honestly, little brother's, face. He looked away. It wasn't for him to see, the eyes of the Bird.

Suddenly, he didn't know who he felt jealousy towards.

Superman trusted Robin with his secret ID, and in his time of utter failure and lack of self-esteem he'd come just to get a hug, flown across the United States and ripped off a giant, titanium door just to hug him.

But Robin…? He actually smiled. A genuine smile. He trusted Superman with everything, allowing the Man of Steel to even remove his mask.

Connor was getting sick of all his jealousy, and was sure M'gann was reeling from it in the other room. Unfortunately… it didn't cease as he glanced back in to see Robin and Superman in another hug, the broad frame of Supes engulfing the tiny lithe one of Robin.

As quietly as he could, he stood and left, slipping in his room and face-planting on his bed. He felt horrible. He sighed, rolling onto his back. How Robin did it he'd never know, the kid seemed kind of immature (and somehow over-mature at the same time), he was pretty cool, but honestly kind of snarky and prideful.

How he got so many people to love him, Connor had no idea. After all, he himself would give his life to protect their resident ninja, but why he didn't know.

If Superboy were to have the keys to all knowledge, he'd realize that why people loved Robin was because for all his smirks and cockiness, he was sad. There was kind of a permeating sadness no one could place. Robin smiled and joked because he didn't want anyone to feel what he was feeling. He was selfless, nice, true, innocent, small, and ultimately? He was clueless. He had no idea how he was, and that just made him all the more adorable and loveable. Few truly knew this side of Robin.

Some had seen it on occasions, but no one really knew the broken heart behind the R-crest. Many of the League members closer to him had seen it on occasion, Batman knew it was there. It was part of why he took the boy in in the first place. But few really knew it.

And no one really would, glimpses would come and go as the Team knew him over the years, but ultimately? His siblings would crack the shell he'd constructed, and reconstruct him as part of them, making an unbreakable force.

After all, he was a Batkid.

And, the League's baby.

Connor couldn't be that, but he knew that he would never let anything he happen to _his_ bird. He honestly needn't worry about it though- Damien will be quite possessive and will only be a shy hair short of killing anyone who messes with _his_ Grayson.

After all, who couldn't love a Robin?

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